Shadows of the Past
by MinkeOR
Summary: After losing her way, a girl is taken in by the elves where she must learn to live with the memories of her lost family, and what has become of the remaining members...
1. section 1

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The Elvin prince stopped, and looked down at the form below him. It was strange for him to see anyone in this part of the woods, especially at this time of day. He didn't know who it was. He thought about calling out to them, perhaps they were an elf. But something in him didn't feel right, and he decided against it. Suddenly the form started to cry, and he realized that it was a girl. Surely this wasn't an elf. He hadn't known any elves in his lifetime who would cry like that. He wanted to comfort her, find out where she had come from, and why she was there. But he was uncertain and decided to watch her a little more. He drew his cloak around himself and grabbed a seat on a nearby log to wait and watch.  
  
Bel couldn't remember ever feeling so cold and alone. She had run from the group never stopping to look back; she hadn't even grabbed a cloak in her haste. She had strayed from her brother's side, but only for a minute, and when she had turned around he was gone. Her mother had warned her everyday about this. "Never go off by yourself. You never know what could happen." But what she did not do as a small child, she had managed as a young woman. Bel shivered at the thought and began to cry. It sickened her. This weakness when she really needed to be strong. A million questions were coursing through her mind. Would she ever get away and find her brother again? And the growing sense that she was not alone gnawed at her.  
  
Legolas watched her intently. This small being who mumbled to herself and asked questions the trees could give no answers to. Though try as they might he sensed they could not help her. Legolas was not sure how old she was, or even where she came from. As far as he knew there were only Elves now in and around Mirkwood. He shivered as the sun sank lower on the horizon. Something was going to have to be done about this stranger. Whoever she was. Legolas stood up and looked in the direction of the setting sun. After a minute he turned back to look at the girl, but there was no one. A feeling of panic rushed through him, and then confusion set in. Where had she gone?  
  
Bel started to walk. It was the only thing she could think to do. So she left her spot on the forest floor and started walking. She didn't know where she was going. But right then she figured that it would be better than just sitting there crying. She tried to be as quiet as possible, hoping that she would go unnoticed. But she had no idea that her efforts at silence were all in vain, for she was being followed by Legolas the whole time. For a few hours she walked until she came upon a small stream. She felt hopeful, because she had always thought that if you followed a stream, you would eventually get out of trouble. A silly belief from child hood that she refused to give up.  
  
As night wore on Bel felt herself growing very tired. She sat down close to the stream and leaned against a tree so that she might find some rest. Almost at once, from a combination of her fatigue, sorrow, and the gentle noise from the stream, Bel slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep. Legolas crept slowly up beside her. "She is daring to venture this far into Mirkwood on her own, and without even a small blade to protect herself with," he thought. She carried no weapon as far as he could tell. Legolas was not sure what he should do. Finally he decided that it would be best for him to stay there and watch over her that night. But just for that night. Somehow he had to get her out of the wood and back to where she had come from. But where had she come from? The question came back to worry him. No answers came to him from the dark and he looked at the girl. She was small, so small that Legolas could have easily carried her in his arms if he had to.  
  
He began to wonder. If this was a human, she would have the curved ears. When he was young, Legolas' brother, who had journeyed far and seen many beings in his years, had entertained Legolas with stories of far off lands and battles fought long ago. It was the takes of the humans that had captivated Legolas' attention and imagination. They had seemed like such fantastic creatures. Capable of such beautiful things and at the same time, unspeakable horrors. He sat now, pondering this strange girl. He had to know, he had to be sure.  
  
Slowly he moved, till he was close enough to feel the breath from her sleeping form. And carefully, barely enough for the girl to think it was only the wind, he pulled her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. It was round. Not pointed like the ears of the elves, but round like he knew a human's to be. Legolas' long, careful fingers had barely grazed the top of her ear but he could still feel how warm she was. He looked at her face for the first time. She was no great beauty, he could easily see that. But there was a peace in her that he could sense that held his attention. Her face was framed by dark hair that grew straight and smooth. In the night it looked black, but in the setting sun, he had seen it become brown and reflect the shades of fire before turning brown again. So, this girl was a human after all. At least that riddle was solved. Now came the question of how she came to be in Mirkwood. A passing band of travelers maybe. That seemed to be the most logical of all explanations.  
  
The longer he sat and watched her sleep, the more certain he became of what he must do. In the morning, when the girl awoke, he would be there, waiting for her, and he would take her to his father. He would know what to do. Legolas would have left immediately to seek the counsel of his father, but he had decided it was best to look after the girl. So he settled in to wait until the sun would creep over the hills again. 


	2. section 2

Bel felt the sun on her face and turned towards it. She kept her eyes shut and enjoyed the smells and the sounds of the wood in the morning. She had never been in a place like this, and it wasn't as bad as her mother had made it out to be. In fact, she couldn't see anything bad about it at all. She smiled for the first time in months, and for a moment her problems were far away. Bel leaned forward, stretching out the muscles of her back that had cramped up over night. It was a minute before she noticed him, the elf who was sitting as still as stone, watching her every move. She froze, not knowing what to do.  
  
Bel had never seen an elf before. She had always imagined them as women clad in white with magical powers. Never had she thought that there were boy elves. But there he was, as clear as her own hands. His blue-gray eyes were fixed on her and they were deep with knowledge gained over many years. In all her travels Bel had never seen a being as fair as the one in front of her. She didn't move, hoping not to frighten him, but he was so still that she wasn't even sure if he was breathing or not.  
  
Suddenly he stood, lifting himself from the ground in one fluid motion, and offered her a hand up. "Good day," he said in a voice that was almost as soothing as the sounds of the creek. "I have startled you. Please forgive me. My name is Legolas, son of Thranduil, King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood." He paused, expecting her to offer her name, but Bel was afraid, and she wasn't sure if she could trust him. It was the old fear creeping back. Legolas sensed her fear and searched for words to put her at ease. "You have strayed far into my land and you are lucky that it was I who found you first. Some are not as welcoming as I am."  
  
Bel was hesitant to touch him. She eyed his hand like he was going to strike her at any moment, but when she looked up into his eyes she knew that he would not harm her. She took his hand and he helped her up. Bel was a head shorter than Legolas and next to him she felt even smaller.  
  
"You are lost. I found you yesterday. And have followed you since. I can offer you my help. If you are willing, we will travel to the house of my father. He will know how to help far better than I can." Legolas paused, and saw the play of emotions on her face. He thought it to be almost comical. Yes, humans were interesting creatures. Bel considered the elf and his offer. It was true. She was lost. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to return from whence she came. But there was her brother to think of. Was he still lost in the wood? Where had he gone? Or had he been caught again? Maybe the elves could help her. She decided that she had no other choice but to trust him.  
  
"I will go with you. I will go with you to see your father and to seek his counsel. I desire above all things to find my brother whom I have lost in these woods. If your father can help me, then I will go with you."  
  
"Very well. We must leave immediately. You have drifted far and we must retrace your steps and cover much ground. We will travel south until we come to the path that is used by my people. From there we will follow the path until we reach the house of my father. There you will be welcomed and find rest. But now, we will go." He turned from Bel and started to walk back along the creek. She sighed and followed. He was kind and friendly towards her, but as she walked along, every now and then she glanced over her shoulder, making sure that they were not being followed. The threat from her past was still to near, and she wasn't sure if she would ever escape it. 


	3. section 3

They stopped at dusk. Bel was visibly weary and she knew that she could not go on even if she had wanted to. Her body would not cooperate. She wasn't speaking to Legolas. But he worried little over it. She would speak when she wanted to. If not to him then perhaps to his father. Though he did not deny that he wished to speak her himself.  
  
That night Bel awoke in a fit. She was coughing like there was something deep in her throat that she couldn't get out. It tore at her insides and she hurt all over from it. When it had passed, she spit the blood that had gathered in her mouth out onto the grass, making a dark stain in the moonlight. Legolas came to her, and laid a hand on her forehead. It was hot to the touch, but she was shivering in the night air all the same. He wrapped his cloak around her shoulders, noticing how little resistance to him she put up this time. When she had once again fallen asleep, he stayed awake, nursing the troubling thoughts that were brewing in his mind.  
  
  
  
. . .  
  
At mid-day they came to the halls of the elf king, and by then Legolas was eager to get her help. Several times that morning Bel had stumbled, for no reason at all. But he had caught her in time, offering his help but being refused. At the sight of the halls, a rush of relief spread through Bel, and a hint of a smile crossed her face. But she felt the heat in her rising and spreading like thick syrup through her whole body. It hurt, to stand like she was. It hurt now to do anything. But she would not let on that she was in pain. But with the spreading, she felt her knees give way. And she clutched at her stomach. The world tipped to one side and then went black.  
  
When Bel fell, she landed against Legolas and he picked her up in his arms. She weighed no more than a child. He had no idea what was going on. Panic came over him and he vaulted up the stairs of the hall, hoping to find some aid. "Where is my father?" he yelled, out of breath and struggling to keep the girl in his arms from slipping away. The attendants scrambled to find the king, and it was few dreadful moments before he entered the room. By that time Bel's eyes had closed and her breath came in short rasps. Her face was ashen and her body had grown cold.  
  
"What is the matter?" Thranduil asked. "Who is that you have there Legolas? What is going on?"  
  
"I do not know who she is father, but I found her two nights ago. She is lost and alone and she needs our aid."  
  
"Follow me then. We will take her and try to help. Come," Legolas followed his father down a long hallway and into a well lit room with a single bed in the corner. It contained few furnishings, a simple room by elf standards, but it was warm and had a window that faced out onto a garden. Legolas laid Bel out on the bed and stepped back to let his father work.  
  
"Legolas you must leave," he whispered. "She will be all right. Now go, find some rest." Reluctantly he turned and left the room. But not without a backward glance at Bel. When the door shut behind him he wished that she would live so that he may know her name. All day and into the night he paced up and down the hallways. The peace of his home did not reach him in his worry. Every once in awhile an elf-maid would enter the room and come out again, but he could get no information from them. The moon was halfway across the sky when Thranduil left the room. Worry was etched across his face, but when he saw his son standing there he smiled and the worry fell away for a moment.  
  
"Come," he said. "We have much to discuss." Legolas walked beside his father, down the long hallway and on into another. "Has she told you anything about where she came from?"  
  
"No. I did not press her either."  
  
"That was wise. She has been through a great deal and I am afraid that the memories will be with her for a long time."  
  
"She has told you then. Where did she come from? Will she recover? Did she speak of her family?" His father turned and held up his hands for peace.  
  
"Easy Legolas. Have not haste with her, but patience instead. She will tell you what you desire to know in time. Yes, she has told me of her past. But she is weak and I didn't want to put too much strain on her. She will rest easy now."  
  
"She will recover then?"  
  
"She will. But it will take her a long time before she is completely well. And even then I do not know if she will ever be rid of what ailed her. There was a sickness in her that I have never seen before. But she will recover."  
  
"May I see her?"  
  
"Yes, but do not wake her."  
  
"Of course." Legolas bid his father farewell and at a near run he returned to Bel's room. It was dark inside, but the moonlight coming in through the open window was enough for him to see by. Once again he found himself stealing up to her side while she slept. He knew that he mustn't make a habit out of it. It was a stolen moment, but right then it was all he had. He touched her hair again, swirling his fingers through the ends, and grazing the soft place beneath her chin. Her face was milky in the moonlight, but it was not blank like before. And the warmth had returned to her body. "Rest easy little one," he whispered to her. She was a wonder to him. And he knew that no amount of sitting and watching would suffice. 


	4. section 4

A chill wind blew across the land, throwing up ash and smoke from the fires. Bel let go of her brother's hand to wipe furiously at the offensive ash and smell that were invading her senses. She coughed and spit some onto the ground. It had been three days since she had last seen her mother. And now she was here by this pit of fire with her brother, clutching onto his hand and keeping him close. Bel heard the wagon before she saw it, creeping along the road and pulling up next to the pit. Flames licked up all around the edge and Bel felt the heat from them even in the chilled air. A bent man came up beside the wagon and spoke a few words to the driver who came down to do his work.  
  
That's when Bel saw her. Mother was in the back of the wagon, sleeping. "Mother!" she cried, and broke away from her brother. She ran to meet the wagon but was caught from behind by a strong arm. "No! I want to see mother!" was all she could say, but her small voice did not register in the mind of her captor. The driver had picked mother up and slung her over his shoulder like the men in the fields did with the sacks of grain. She did not stir. The world moved in slow motion as Bel watched her mother being cast into the pit of flames. There was a stabbing sensation and then the dull ache in her heart again. Bel heard herself scream and she struggled against the person holding her back. The tears and smoke stung her eyes.  
  
Then they were clear again, and she was back in Mirkwood. Bel was alone, in her room again. Far away from the fields and the pits of death. Far away from Nurnen and work. She lay in a cold sweat, fighting off the memories of her mother. It was no longer her cough that troubled her sleep, that had disappeared weeks ago with her coming to the halls and the elvish medicine had begun to heal the damage done inside. Instead it was her nightmares that kept her awake. A cool breeze came in through the window and ruffled the thin cloth that hung over them. It was the middle of the night and Bel couldn't get back to sleep. When she closed her eyes she could see her mother's face again. The way her body draped over the man's shoulder and the rise of the flame when she was thrown on was too much.  
  
She left her room and started to wander. She found a peace in the quiet of the night in the halls. There was no one about and she walked barefoot hardly making a noise. It felt as if she had been walking for hours, and she knew she was walking in circles, when a voice startled her. Bel whirled around to find herself face to face with Legolas. How long he had been following her she wasn't sure. She couldn't be sure of anything with him.  
  
"Why do you wander alone at this hour?" He said.  
  
"I cannot sleep. I am troubled by my dreams."  
  
"What is it you see?"  
  
"My mother."  
  
"I do not understand. You have never spoken to me of her."  
  
"There are many things that I have not told you." Bel felt as if she had been bearing this burden to long. She had grown close to Legolas in the past few weeks, valuing his friendship above all other things. He spent much time with her, teaching her to read and speak elvish, and telling her the same stories from his childhood. She sat down on a bench carved right out of the wall and knew that it was time. "When I was born, my mother was so overjoyed that she named me Belothien. After two sons she finally had the daughter she had wished for."  
  
"Belothien, that is an elvish name."  
  
"Yes. She was enchanted with elves. She was kicked by a horse when I was a little girl and could have no more children. I was the last. I was very small when we were captured. Men, twisted by evil, came one day out of the East and bore us by wagon into Mordor to Lake Nurnen. We had become slaves. And there was no escape." She told him of the horrors she witnessed in the fields. Breathing the thick air always laced with the smell of smoke and death. She told of losing her mother and father and her oldest brother, of the many nights when she lay awake coughing until she was crying. She pulled her hair off her back and showed to him the scars criss-crossing her spine from the times that she had been beaten. He traced one gingerly and she shivered.  
  
She relived her flight from the lake a year ago, and the long months of wandering that had followed. The constant fear of being recaptured was ever present so the group could not stay long. Her cough grew worse and the fits began to follow. They had gone North, following the Misty Mountains and skirting the woods. One night goblins came upon them. They killed many people but she bolted into the woods. She lost her brother and wandered alone, until Legolas had found her.  
  
"And the rest of my story you know," she said. She was tired, almost as much as if she had relived her life in those minutes. Legolas had come to sit next to her and he saw her droop. All the signs that he had missed before were clear to him now. Her frailty when he had first found her, her skittish nature and calloused hands. Silent tears were falling from her eyes and he put his arm around her. She fell into his embrace and wept. She wept for her family, and for herself. Denied the chance to grieve at the loss of her family, her outburst of emotion made her feel somehow lighter.  
  
Legolas took her back to her room and laid her down like he had done that first day. She felt his cool fingers ease her hair away from her face and smooth away the tears. He began to sing, softly and in elvish. What little elvish she knew was lost and the sounds flowed over her. She fell asleep to his songs and had no more dreams. 


	5. section 5

Summer came to Mirkwood, but it was only felt in the realm of the elves. Thranduil invited Bel to stay, and she gladly accepted for she had nowhere else to go. She was free to roam the halls and one day she discovered the extensive libraries that Thranduil possessed and she was enchanted. Most of her days were spent pouring over scrolls and maps. Legolas came as often as he could, helping her to learn elvish. She was picking it up quite well, but every once in awhile there would be a word or phrase that she would need help with.  
  
Even though he loved to spend time with her, Legolas was needed elsewhere. On a night in mid-June the creature Gollum, who had been in the keeping of the elves for nearly a year, had escaped into the night. Legolas joined the search for the creature, but they came up empty handed. Gollum's trail had led them South, drawing them ever closer to Dol Guldur. They abandoned the search on the borders of that evil place and returned to the halls with heavy hearts. All traces of Gollum were lost and the elves had failed to find him. A worry began to grow in Legolas' mind. Thranduil chose him to carry a message to Elrond in Rivendell. Elrond must know of the events surrounding Gollum's disappearance.  
  
On the eve of his departure in late August, Legolas went in search of Bel. He knew exactly where he would find her. She was in the library as always, reading yet another set of scrolls. She was sitting in the windowsill this time, with some papers resting on her knees and her slim fingers skimming along the lines as she mouthed the words of the text.  
  
"Good evening Bel," he said.  
  
"Oh, Legolas is good to see you again. I was worried that I would not have a chance to speak with you before you left for Rivendell."  
  
"Why would you worry? I would not dare to leave without saying goodbye. But I have other news."  
  
Bel laid the scrolls aside and turned towards him. "What have you come to say?"  
  
"My father has given me permission to bring you with me to Rivendell. He believes that Lord Elrond may know something of you brother."  
  
Bel laughed aloud and threw her arms around him. "That is the most wonderful news! To Rivendell. I cannot believe it." Legolas was happy that she was eager to go with him. But he could not tell her of the real reason for the journey. Though she had lived with them for quite some time, she had no knowledge of Gollum's very existence and he intended to keep it that way.  
  
  
  
  
  
They set out the next day before the sun had risen. Thranduil had given to Bel a new cloak that would keep her warm and dry, along with some words of advice. Before the day had ended they were far from the halls and Bel began to miss them like they were home. She was not surprised at this; they were all the home that she had.  
  
It was barely nightfall on the second day of their journey when Legolas stopped his horse unexpectedly. "There is someone ahead. Someone that I do not recognize." Of course, Bel could see or hear nothing. He dismounted without a sound and bid her to do the same. "Stay here with the horses. I will go see who it is." Bel watched him go off alone, and she began to worry. What if he didn't come back? But he would return to her, she was sure of that.  
  
After awhile she sat down on the ground to wait. He had been gone a long time and she was getting tired. She was also hungry, but she wouldn't eat until he was back. The horses were waiting as patiently as she and she felt calmer knowing that at least they were here.  
  
When Legolas returned he was out of breath and his eyes were wide. "There is something that you should see," he whispered.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I will not tell you. You must go look and see it for yourself. Walk straight along the path until you see the light of a fire. Go, it's through there."At his urging Bel walked ahead on the path by herself. She could barely see ahead of her. The darkness was so thick now that she couldn't even see her hands when she spread them in front of her face. It took her awhile to get down the path, but eventually there came out of the darkness a flicker of red light. She followed it until it clear that it was a fire. She crept up closer until she was on the edge of the clearing. She decided to wait, she was still unsure as to why Legolas had sent her here.  
  
The figures huddled around the fire were stooped over, and they conversed in hushed voices. At first she didn't recognize the faces. They were coated with dirt and showed many years. But there was one. Away from the others on the far side of the clearing he sat, leaning against a tree. The firelight barely touched him, but it was enough for Bel. She knew him immediately. I lightness filled her and she stepped into the clearing. The faces around the fire turned up and at her, staring at her, through her. But she was only focused on one. The face of her brother. She came close, stopping a few feet from where he sat. He looked up at her. They were the same eyes, the same hair and facial structure that she grew up with. He said nothing to her. Only watched from those haunted eyes.  
  
"Hello, Sircyn." She whispered. 


	6. section 6

Time stood still. Neither of them spoke. And the group around the fire just watched, waiting for someone to break the silence. It was Sircyn who spoke first.  
  
"You are alive." He said.  
  
"Yes. The elves have taken care of me since we last saw each other. They are very kind, just as mother told us they were."  
  
"Our mother was a fool." There was bitterness in him and Bel felt it. "What are you doing here Bel?" His voice had become flat and she saw him weakening. Something about Sircyn was different. Never before had he criticized their mother and it angered Bel."  
  
"How can you say such a thing. After all that we have been through."  
  
"There is nothing left of us Bel. Nothing left of our family. Mordor has ruined us. We're good for nothing now. No one will help us, no one will give us a decent life. We have a better chance if we just go our separate ways. We both know that. That day you were lost, I couldn't believe my luck. I was free. Free to go my own way and to live my own life."  
  
"But you have nothing now. At least then we had each other."  
  
"Look at your luck!" He stood and came towards her, the anger showing clearly on his face. " You took up with the elves you did. And look at you now. Healthy and wearing these fine garments."  
  
"You are not yourself," she said backing away from him. His transformation in the months of their separation frightened her. "In blood you are my brother but in your mind you have gone much awry."  
  
"Go away Bel. Go back into the forest and leave me alone."  
  
"Fine. So be it. I will not forget the way you were. When you were really my family." She turned and with a final glance at him over her shoulder she ran back towards where she had left Legolas. The darkness consumed her and she stumbled blindly through it. She felt nothing now. No pain, no warmth. Just a numb place where her insides should be.  
  
Tears were streaming down her face and she couldn't go any further. Blinded by the darkness and her grief she settled onto the forest floor. Elves could die of grief and she thought it unfair that she couldn't meet that fate. Her parents were dead, Sircyn had betrayed her, and she had nowhere to call home. She was truly alone now.  
  
  
  
  
  
Bel did not die of her grief. She lived to see the morning and still she felt nothing. Legolas was waiting for her, with the horses ready to go. She came out of the woods and tried to hide her feelings as best as she could but he felt her grief. He did not ask her about it, somehow he had expected the worst. She did not speak for the remainder of the journey. At night Legolas listened to her sobbing in her sleep, and sometimes she wouldn't sleep at all. Just sit up staring off into space.  
  
In Rivendell she found nothing to keep her ease her pain. She spent no time in the library, stories and learning had lost it's charm. She slept all day and spent her nights wandering around the House of Elrond and the surrounding woods. She had no fear, unlike the nights in Mirkwood where the woods were pitch black and filled with evil things, the area around Rivendell was most beautiful at night. The moonlight came down and covered everything with a silvery light. Her favorite place was by the falls. Where everything was peaceful and she could lose herself in the rush of water and the noise.  
  
It had been weeks since Legolas had spoken with her, when one evening she came to him. To his surprise she asked him to come walking with her. He noted that she carried with her a bow and a quiver of arrows. They walked in silence, with Bel in the lead and Legolas following. She took him deep into the forest until she came to a clearing that she had discovered. There she lay the bow and quiver on the ground, took her cloak off and laid it beside them. He saw now that she was clothed all in white, instead of the greens and browns of Mirkwood that she had worn. Her hair was left unbraided, and hung all around her.  
  
"What are we doing here?" he asked, almost afraid to receive her answer.  
  
"I cannot stay in Rivendell anymore," she spoke in a calm voice. "This is not where I belong."  
  
"Then as soon as is possible we will return to Mirkwood." She smiled softly at his words and looked him in the eyes as she spoke.  
  
"No, Legolas. I cannot stay with the elves any longer. There is nothing for me here, or with your family. My time is gone. You have been very kind to me, and I cannot thank you enough. But there is one last thing that you must do for me." She picked up the bow and took a single arrow from the quiver. Placing them in his hands she spoke softly to him, "Your shot is straight and true. I ask that use only one arrow, so that both of us will suffer as little as possible."  
  
He pushed the bow and arrow away and looked at her in horror. He could not do this, he could not kill her. She didn't know what she was saying. Perhaps this was all a dream, but he knew in his heart that it wasn't. But still he would not do it. "I cannot do this," he said. "I will not do it. There is no sense in this."  
  
"There is every sense in it," she went on calmly. "I have no family, no future, and no home. This is what I want. I need your help. Please, Legolas. As my greatest friend I need you to do this one last favor."  
  
"Is there no other way?"  
  
"No," she smiled again and he felt a great sadness. Again she put the bow and arrow in his hands and closed them. She turned and began to walk away into the trees. He knew that she was certain in her wish. She would not have brought him here or asked him to do this if she wasn't sure.  
  
With a sigh he lifted the bow and fitted the arrow on the string. He pulled it taught and sighted down the shaft until he could hold his hand steady. He saw her, just beyond the tip of the arrowhead, just a flash of white in the trees, before he closed his eyes and between heartbeats, he let go.  
  
Legolas heard her fall and he ran. He found her, watched the red seeping into white, and he closed her eyes. He knew that she would feel no more. His shot had pierced her heart and a second would not be needed, just as she had asked. He carried her back to the House of Elrond, much the same as he had done at the halls of his father.  
  
When the leaves began to fall that October there was much sorrow in the world. Tales were brewing of evil awakening in Mordor and the One Ring had come to Rivendell in the hands of a little being called a hobbit. But amidst it all Legolas never forgot about Bel. He kept her alive in his mind, and he knew that wherever she was, she had finally found peace. 


End file.
